Armenia’s Jehovah’s Witness v. H1: TV Broadcast Offends 24,000 People

“We don’t have anything against Gevorg Altunyan specifically; I personally enjoy watching his [TV] programs. We have launched a lawsuit against [Armenia’s] Public TV for the offensive and dishonorable statements made about Jehovah’s Witnesses during Haylur [“Armenian News”] and Tesankyun [“View”] and we are demanding they issue a public apology,” said Jehovah’s Witnesses of Armenia public relations spokesperson Tigran Harutyunyan, speaking to Epress.am concerning recent events.

“The offensive statements were made mainly during Haylur’s broadcasts, which have not remained without consequences. In particular, after this broadcast, assaults were carried out against Jehovah’s Witnesses in different regions of Armenia,” he said.

Harutyunyan noted the group twice officially addressed Armenia’s Public TV, asking the television station to refute the misinformation from Haylur concerning the case of the young man who killed his parents in Sevan and to apologize for the offensive statements regarding Jehovah’s Witnesses. The TV station said the murderer, Arman Khachik Torosyan, was a Jehovah’s Witness.

“However after our formal request, the following morning, they once again repeated that broadcast,” said the Jehovah’s Witness public relations spokesperson, adding that Torosyan was registered at a local psychiatric clinic.

“An individual having mental disorders cannot knowingly take action or make a decision to become a Jehovah’s Witness. Those who study our doctrine, participate in meetings, after which, in the presence of other witnesses, become baptized become Jehovah’s Witnesses — this person [Torosyan] is not a Jehovah’s Witness,” he said.

Harutyunyan said the group hopes the court will issue an impartial ruling and that such misinformation and “fiction” are no longer disseminated since there are more than 24,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses in Armenia alone and such broadcasts offend them all.

“Generally, offending members of any religious organization and spreading misinformation about anyone shouldn’t be allowed,” he added.